Amnesty clause: Teams' top candidates
LOS ANGELES CLIPPERS
Most likely amnesty cut: Ryan Gomes
How likely to use amnesty this season? Jump ball
Other amnesty candidates: Randy Foye
Analysis: Sensible as it seems for the Clippers to consider releasing Gomes when he has two seasons and some $4 million in guaranteed money left on his contract, don't forget who owns this team. Donald Sterling, remember, isn't exactly known for paying people to stop working for him.
Many veteran Sterling-watchers don't even think he could have brought himself to use the amnesty provision on the since-traded Baron Davis, whose deal is far richer, so there's conceivably only one scenario that would prompt Sterling to pay Gomes to go away. And that's if matching an offer to restricted free-agent center (and Blake Griffin favorite) DeAndre Jordan gets so pricey that the Clips have no alternative. If Gomes' departure can create the sort of cap room that enables the Clips to re-sign Jordan and upgrade at small forward, that's when you'll see it. Maybe.
Marc Stein, ESPN
Probable candidates (according to Stein)
Gilbert Arenas
Renaldo Balkman
Charlie Bell
Baron Davis
DeSagana Diop
Rashard Lewis
Travis Outlaw
Brandon Roy
Luke Walton
Toss-up candidates
Josh Childress
Al Harrington
Richard Jefferson
Dahntay Jones
Mike Miller
Mehmet Okur
Beno Udrih
Charlie Villanueva
Marvin Williams